“We are thrilled to be able to offer this opportunity to our visitors,” said Museum Director Daniel Keegan. “The Museum’s feature exhibition, Of Heaven and Earth: 500 years of Italian Painting from Glasgow Museums, explores the history of Italian art—from the religious paintings of the late Middle Ages and Renaissance to the secular neoclassical and genre paintings of the nineteenth century – and includes a few of the most recognizable names in the world. I am excited to share our opening day festivities with the public for free, thanks to our partners at Target.”

Due to the exciting reinstallation project that will be occurring at the Museum in fall 2014, this Target Free First Thursday will be the last chance to view the Museum’s world-class collection before it goes off view through 2015. It is also the last opportunity to see Postcards from America: Milwaukee, a photographic examination of the people and places in Milwaukee, before it closes on October 19.

Target Free First Thursdays provides all Museum visitors with free admission on the first Thursday of each month. The Museum is open Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Future Target Free First Thursday dates include November 6 and December 4, 2014.

“At Target, our local grants are making a difference in the communities we serve,” said Laysha Ward, president, community relations, Target. “We’re proud to partner with the Milwaukee Art Museum as part of our ongoing commitment to give back to the communities where our guests and team members live and work.”

ABOUT MILWAUKEE ART MUSEUM
Prominently situated on the shores of Lake Michigan, the Milwaukee Art Museum campus welcomes over 400,000 visitors annually. The Museum was founded over 125 years ago and is the largest and most significant art museum in Wisconsin. It houses a rich collection of over 30,000 works, with strengths in 19th- and 20th-century American and European art, contemporary art, and American decorative arts. It is the world’s leading repository for work by untrained creators and has one of the largest collections of works by Georgia O’Keeffe. The Museum’s celebrated Santiago Calatrava–designed Quadracci Pavilion, completed in 2001, showcases both Museum-produced and traveling feature exhibitions.

RESTORE. REINSTALL. REIMAGINE.
Beginning in fall 2014, the Museum began an ambitious project to renovate its two oldest buildings, the Eero Saarinen–designed War Memorial Center (1957) and the David Kahler–designed addition (1975), which house the Museum’s Collection Galleries. Increased gallery space, including an entire floor dedicated to photography and new media, an improved gallery layout, and a new lakeside entrance are among the improvements planned. The collections will be off view through fall 2015; however, the Museum is open throughout construction, with a vibrant schedule of exciting exhibitions, educational offerings, and special programs in the Quadracci Pavilion. For more information, visit mam.org.

ABOUT TARGET
Minneapolis-based Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) serves guests at 1,740 stores in 49 states nationwide and at Target.com. Target is committed to providing a fun and convenient shopping experience with access to unique and highly differentiated products at affordable prices. Since 1946, the corporation has given 5 percent of its income through community grants and programs like Take Charge of Education. Today, that giving equals more than $3 million a week.